Sense and Sensibility

When Mrs. Dashwood is forced by an avaricious daughter-in-law to leave the family home in Sussex, she takes her three daughters to live in a modest cottage in Devon. For Elinor, the eldest daughter, the move means a painful separation from the man she loves, but her sister Marianne finds in Devon the romance and excitement which she longs for.

Mansfield Park

At the tender age of 10, Fanny Price is 'adopted' by her rich relations and is removed from the poverty of her home in Portsmouth to the opulence of Mansfield Park. The transplantation is not a happy one. Dependent, helpless, neglected and forgotten, Fanny struggles to come to terms with her new life until, tested almost to the limits of endurance, she assumes her righful role...

Pride and Prejudice

One of Jane Austen’s most beloved works, Pride and Prejudice, is vividly brought to life by Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). In her bright and energetic performance of this British classic, she expertly captures Austen’s signature wit and tone. Her attention to detail, her literary background, and her performance in the 2005 feature film version of the novel provide the perfect foundation from which to convey the story of Elizabeth Bennett, her four sisters, and the inimitable Mr. Darcy.

Sense and Sensibility: With an Excerpt from 'Jane and Me: My Austen Heritage'

Following her critically acclaimed narration of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with Songs from Regency England, Emma, Persuasion & Poems and Northanger Abbey & The History of England, award-winning narrator Alison Larkin is back, bringing depth and a light comedic touch to this delightful recording of Austen's first published novel.

Mansfield Park

When the self-effacing 10-year-old Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy relations at Mansfield Park she seems shy and withdrawn beside her witty and vivacious cousins. Growing up in the Bertram household, she is always treated as an inferior, only finding an ally in her cousin Edmund. But Fanny's steadfast and purposeful character eventually makes her an indispensable part of the household. During the absence of Fanny's uncle, the others become entangled in a maze of flirtation and intrigue upon the arrival of Mary Crawford and her brother Henry.

Northanger Abbey

When Catherine Morland, a country clergyman's daughter, is invited to spend a season in Bath with the fashionable high society, little does she imagine the delights and perils that await her. Captivated and disconcerted by what she finds, and introduced to the joys of "Gothic novels" by her new friend, Isabella, Catherine longs for mystery and romance. When she is invited to stay with the beguiling Henry Tilney and his family at Northanger Abbey, she expects mystery and intrigue at every turn.

Persuasion

Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.

Northanger Abbey

This is Jane Austen's lighthearted lesson in what you get for reading too many gothic novels. It is a mark of the astonishing talent of the woman, however, that even a flippant swipe at the trashy reading of the day turned out to be an elegant if extremely funny classic. Catherine Morland is another one of those Austen girls who, in spite of her gloriously ironic portrait as a romantic heroine in training, ends up being someone whose story you'd follow to the end of the world, or at least until the end of the book.

North and South

Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....

Jane Eyre

Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.

Northanger Abbey: An Audible Original Drama

A coming-of-age tale for the young and naïve 17-year-old Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey takes a decidedly comical look at themes of class, family, love and literature. Revelling in the sensationalist - and extremely popular - Gothic fiction of her day, the story follows Catherine out of Bath to the lofty manor of the Tilneys, where her overactive imagination gets to work constructing an absurd and melodramatic explanation for the death of Mrs Tilney, which threatens to jeopardise her newly forged friendships.

Vanity Fair

Set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, this classic gives a satirical picture of a worldly society. The novel revolves around the exploits of the impoverished but beautiful and devious Becky Sharp who craves wealth and a position in society. Calculating and determined to succeed, she charms, deceives and manipulates everyone she meets. A novel of early 19th-century English society, it takes its title from the place designated as the centre of human corruption in John Bunyan's 17th-century allegory.

Far From the Madding Crowd

In a remote corner of early Victorian England, where traditional practices remain untouched by time, Bathsheba Everdene stands out as a beacon of female independence and self-reliance. However, when confronted with three suitors, among them the dashing Sergeant Troy, she shows a reckless capriciousness that threatens the stability of the whole community. Published in 1874, and an immediate best seller, Far From the Madding Crowd established Thomas Hardy as one of Britain's foremost novelists.

Little Women: Classics Deluxe Edition

Little Women is recognized as one of the best-loved classic children's stories, transcending the boundaries of time and age, making it as popular with adults as it is with young listeners. The beloved story of the March girls is a classic American feminist novel, reflecting the tension between cultural obligation and artistic and personal freedom.

But which of the four March sisters to love best? For every listener must have their favorite. Independent, tomboyish Jo; delicate, loving Beth; pretty, kind Meg; or precocious and beautiful Amy, the baby of the family?

Around the World in 80 Days

When an eccentric Englishman named Phileas Fogg makes a daring wager that he can circle the globe in just eighty days, it's the beginning of a breathlessly-paced world tour. With his devoted servant Passepartout at his side, Fogg sets off on an adventurous journey filled with amazing encounters and wild mishaps. Pursued all the way by the bumbling Detective Fix, who believes the two travelers are bank robbers on the run, Fogg and Passepartout must use every means of transportation known to 19th-century man - including a hot-air balloon, a locomotive, and an elephant - to win the bet.

Wuthering Heights

The passionate and tragic story of Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff is one of the high points of nineteenth-century Romantic literature. In the relationship of Cathy and Heathcliff, and in the wild, bleak Yorkshire Moors of its setting, Wuthering Heights creates a world of its own, conceived with a disregard for convention and an instinct for poetry and the darkest depths of the human soul in torment.

Middlemarch

Dorothea Brooke is an ardent idealist who represses her vivacity and intelligence for the cold, theological pedant Casaubon. One man understands her true nature: the artist Will Ladislaw. But how can love triumph against her sense of duty and Casaubon's mean spirit? Meanwhile, in the little world of Middlemarch, the broader world is mirrored: the world of politics, social change, and reforms, as well as betrayal, greed, blackmail, ambition, and disappointment.

The Mill on the Floss

Maggie Tulliver has two lovers: Philip Wakem, son of her father's enemy, and Stephen Guest, already promised to her cousin. But the love she wants most in the world is that of her brother Tom. Maggie's struggle against her passionate and sensual nature leads her to a deeper understanding and to eventual tragedy

Publisher's Summary

Emma, a comic novel by Jane Austen, was published in December 1815.

The main character, Emma Woodhouse, is described in the opening paragraph as "handsome, clever, and rich" but is also rather spoiled. Emma schemes to find a suitable husband for her pliant friend Harriet, only to discover that she understands the feelings of others as little as she does her own heart.

I find that whatever my mood Jane Austen is the balm that soothes most ills. Her characters are timeless. The eloquence of the characters, whether they be the affluent or the less so, in my mind are perfection personified.Emma encompasses all that is best in Jane Austens novels

Emma was written by Jane Austen - enough said! In my opinion, Jane Austen is the greatest author ever to have written in any language at any time. Of her books, I like Pride and Predjudice, Persuasion and Emma the best (in that order). Jane Austen had the ability to understand people and human nature, and the talent to create characters and write about them in the most revealing and illuminating way. She created quite a few memorable characters in this book and Emma is the most fascinaing of them. Emma has a good heart but is still immature and arrogant in her view of other people. Emma's father's preoccupation with his health, and the health of others, is very humorous and quite reconizable (you probably know someonw like him). Mr. Knightly is the embodiment of a gentleman (and sexy too!), Mrs. Elton is disgusting, and I could go on and on. The book has much humor and a great romance. There is great passion without the author resorting to writen graphic sex scenes. Jane Auten's romance is so much more passionate and intense because there is no graphic sex. Everyone in the world should read or listen to a Jane Austen novel and Emma is a good one to include. The reader of this production is very good - the accents and interpretations of the characters are good, and the reader's personality does not overpower the production - the reader let's the writing and the story come first, which they should since they are superb.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Jessica

ROMA, Australia

22/04/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"For the dedicated Austin fan."

Would you listen to Emma again? Why?

I like Emma - it's a bit strung out and visions of Clueless come to mind throughout but it's a classic tale written with a great sense of humour.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Emma?

Emma's sister and father discussing the merits of a good gruel. The conversation took such a turn as to shout Jane's wonderful sense of humour.

What didn’t you like about Anne Flosnik’s performance?

I didn't care for her voice at first but I quickly grew to appreciate her efforts to give all the characters (and they are numerous) differing voices. She does a good job, and like all good stories, the tale takes over from any distractions fairly quickly.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

Keep an ear out for the gags - they pop up without warning and can be quite startling.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Samantha

14/01/09

Overall

"if you like Jane Austin"

It is Jane Austin, so if you like Jane Austin then it is for you. The narration is good while the recording quality is less than ideal it did not hinder the story.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Sarah

22/06/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Wonderful!"

This is a great story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.What did you like or dislike?I like the reader because she can change between female and male voices well.Whom would you recommend this book to?I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Jane Austen and wants to read more of her work.Why did you choose this rating?I rated it completely five star because the overall quality is very good.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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